Very Overwhelmed Planning for the Ports of Call

[Dreacrusingaway]

Hi,

I am brand new and we have booked our 1st cruise on the Carnival Sunshine going to Key West, Nassau and Freeport leaving on May 25.

 

I am SO overwhelmed trying to plan our port days. We have 2 daughters ages 8 and 12. Of course they want to do everything from Atlantis, parasailing , swimming with dolphins, the beach, snorkeling. Since we are not made of money and only have so much time in port, we have to make some decisions.

 

We will be in Key West from 8am-4pm, in Nassau from 12pm-8pm and in Freeport from 8am-4pm.

 

I am thinking Atlantis may be super crowded by the time we would get there with us getting into port at 12pm and I don't want to waste money with long lines.

 

I honestly don't know what direction to go in. I do not want to overwhelm them and have overtired, cranky kids by dinner. But I want them to have a memorable experience.

 

Any advice on what direction to head in for kids of this age.

 

For Key West I was thinking one of those trolley tours, but I worry the kids may be bored or possibly trying parasailing if its the kids top choice.

 

For Nassau I was thinking possibly a dolphin encounter or a day pass at a resort or parasailing if we do not do it at Key West.

 

For Freeport I was thinking possibly snorkling at Paradise Cove or a day pass at Grand Lucayan if we have not had a beach day by then.

 

Is the premium charged by the cruise lines for excursions worth it? Or should I look to book things on my own?

 

I just cannot make any decisions on this. I anyone has advice I would be thrilled to hear it. Anything that can get me going in the right direction so I can stop spinning my wheels. It's driving me crazy not to have a single solid plan beyond having the cruise booked.

 

Thank you so much in advance.

[crystalspin]

Hi! Don't be overwhelmed, you have lots of time to figure it all out!

 

Your ports:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/area.cfm?area=34&src=nav

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=51

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=3

 

Carnival board:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=215

 

Your Roll Call of people on the very ship/itinerary with you (only a few people at present, but that means not so much reading to do to catch up!)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1930020

 

So breathe!

[Dreacrusingaway]

Thanks so much. I will take a look at the links for some guidance. I am a kind of a control freak planner and it drives me batty when I don't have a solid plan. I have been up late reading up on things every night, which makes me exhausted during the day during which I still think about this cruise. I need to get some things set so I can relax!

[paul929207]

As Crystalspin said, you have plenty of time to plan - just over 4 months. So pick a port and start researching it. Come up with some reasonably priced activities. Present them to the girls and give them a limit, ie they are allowed to spend X dollars. Most likely that will not cover everything they would like to do, but it will keep you out of bankruptcy court. :)

 

Then just work your way thru the ports. Remember, you and spouse get to pick too if there is something you really want. Also, you don't have to do everything the first time. Always nice to have an excuse to go back some day.

[wallie5446]

Welcome to the wonderful vacation of Cruzzin!

As with any trip trying to take in to much can, And DOES, take the fun out of what is meant to be a relaxing trip. Our 1st cruise was in 1987, 7 diff lines and 27 years later we still love to get on Ship.

 

Slow down, there is no way to do all the different things. For your 1st cruise, IMHO, book your tours thru the cruise line, then when you do the next one, you have a benchmark on how to do it on your own.

 

Step back and just enjoy watching the kids eyes get wider an wider as you explore the Ship. But BEWARE:eek: your vacation planning will be changed forever!:D

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

You may also want to read and ask questions on Family Cruises here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

[Harry and Lucille]

Take the time with the kids to go on line. Ask them what their interests are. That allows you to pinpoint areas. They will be involved and motivated. You can always X out anything that you want. List becomes simple at that point.

 

You will have less stress and kids will be excited. Great way to start a cruise.

 

Good luck and make it fun for everyone. ;)

[Hydrokitty]

Welcome to the wonderful vacation of Cruzzin!

As with any trip trying to take in to much can, And DOES, take the fun out of what is meant to be a relaxing trip. Our 1st cruise was in 1987, 7 diff lines and 27 years later we still love to get on Ship.

 

Slow down, there is no way to do all the different things. For your 1st cruise, IMHO, book your tours thru the cruise line, then when you do the next one, you have a benchmark on how to do it on your own.

 

Step back and just enjoy watching the kids eyes get wider an wider as you explore the Ship. But BEWARE:eek: your vacation planning will be changed forever!:D

 

Truer words were never spoken! A couple of things come to mind: there will be a talk (usually the first night or afternoon) when all the shore excursions will be explained in depth. I strongly suggest you go to it with the kids. You can then select your choices together keeping in mind that anything that involves swimming with any kind of animal, zip-lining, para-sailing or other "adventure" activities will tend to be expensive especiallly with a family group. I haven't cruised Caribbean but I am familiar with Key West. I would suggest the conch train because it's fully guided OR (my favorite) the trolley which is hop on/hop off. two stops that I think would appeal is definitely the end of the US marker and the Hemingway house (especially if they like cats) otherwise just walking around Key West is fascinating and if you're in port for the sunset the entertainment at Mallory Square (where the dock is) is one of a kind! If you're a AAA member get the Florida book and check out what's there. I find anything AAA marks as a "Gem" involves something not to be missed.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Okay, my advice (for what it's worth) is to forget about trying to do everything and even trying to plan something for every second. Often when people over-plan, they end up disappointed.

 

Here's what I did a couple of cruises ago when my daughter (then 13 and about to go on her 7th cruise) complained that she doesn't get to do what she wants to do: I handed her brochures that I got from the ports we were going to (I had googled each port and there was a set of brochures that they would mail to us; many ports and tourism websites also have downloadable ones) and some post it notes and told her to note which sites were interesting to her. Then the three of us sat together and discussed her choices. Next, I went on the websites for her choices and checked theirhours of operation, and found a few of them would be closed on our day there.

 

Her father added a place or two and I did too. His main request was no rental cars (he and I did rent a car on Kauai on our honeymoon so we saw much of the island; my daughter isn't into sightseeing for the most part, even though on our previous cruise on the same itinerary, she seemed to like our tour of Hilo, which we had booked through Princess). I got my shopping trip to Ala Moana shopping center, which I haven't been to in three trips to Honolulu. We didn't book any excursions at all, getting around on foot, taxi, and city buses. Among her choices included visiting a jodo.

 

And not every day was a whirlwind (one of the four ports was the beach day). We did this same cruise a third time (love those Princess Hawaiian cruises:)) and got her (at age 15) involved in the planning. I showed her where the Princess excursions were listed and she indicated which ones she was interested in. She got to pick one, I picked one (which actually was one of the best excursions I've been on), we did a shopping trip for souvenir in another port (which worked as it was pouring rain and it was Christmas Eve), and the fourth port found a place we hadn't been before and it was open on Christmas. I also did a lot of googling to see if there were any other new places to see. But again, we didn't plan out every port stay by the minute, and even skipped one place on our list.

 

Being flexible equals less stress to us. Involving the teen equals less whining from her.

 

And odds are, everyone in your family will enjoy the cruise and decide to do more in the future. Who knows, maybe the next time Alaska or some other location that you've never been to.

[1kaper]

Okay' date=' my advice (for what it's worth) is to forget about trying to do everything and even trying to plan something for every second. Often when people over-plan, they end up disappointed.

 

Here's what I did a couple of cruises ago when my daughter (then 13 and about to go on her 7th cruise) complained that she doesn't get to do what she wants to do: I handed her brochures that I got from the ports we were going to (I had googled each port and there was a set of brochures that they would mail to us; many ports and tourism websites also have downloadable ones) and some post it notes and told her to note which sites were interesting to her. Then the three of us sat together and discussed her choices. Next, I went on the websites for her choices and checked theirhours of operation, and found a few of them would be closed on our day there.

 

Her father added a place or two and I did too. His main request was no rental cars (he and I did rent a car on Kauai on our honeymoon so we saw much of the island; my daughter isn't into sightseeing for the most part, even though on our previous cruise on the same itinerary, she seemed to like our tour of Hilo, which we had booked through Princess). I got my shopping trip to Ala Moana shopping center, which I haven't been to in three trips to Honolulu. We didn't book any excursions at all, getting around on foot, taxi, and city buses. Among her choices included visiting a jodo.

 

And not every day was a whirlwind (one of the four ports was the beach day). We did this same cruise a third time (love those Princess Hawaiian cruises:)) and got her (at age 15) involved in the planning. I showed her where the Princess excursions were listed and she indicated which ones she was interested in. She got to pick one, I picked one (which actually was one of the best excursions I've been on), we did a shopping trip for souvenir in another port (which worked as it was pouring rain and it was Christmas Eve), and the fourth port found a place we hadn't been before and it was open on Christmas. I also did a lot of googling to see if there were any other new places to see. But again, we didn't plan out every port stay by the minute, and even skipped one place on our list.

 

Being flexible equals less stress to us. Involving the teen equals less whining from her.

 

And odds are, everyone in your family will enjoy the cruise and decide to do more in the future. Who knows, maybe the next time Alaska or some other location that you've never been to.[/quote']

 

This is excellent advice. I was going to suggest that you go over options with them and they can each pick their top choice. Depending on what they choose/budget, either find one that both agree on and go with that, or do both if you can afford it. The other stops can be relaxing beach day/low cost options.

Check out the port links above, a lot of stops often have a nearby free beach.

 

On a first cruise I would probably opt for going through the cruise ship (that's what I did my first cruise) but if you narrow down what you want to do you can do some research on the local tour operators to see if you can get a better deal.

[serene56]

maybe pick a port of freeport or nassau and stay on the ship and let the kids swim in pools that will be nearly empty?

 

The cruise lines excursions are not worth the money when you take into consideration the private tour guides doing the same thing for a lot less.

Just note you MUST be onboard 30 minutes before sailing. So when the itinerary says 8-4 you must be back onboard before 3:30

 

For atlantis-- look into buying a day room at the comfort inn. You will not be able to get it all done but at least its something.

 

on the port of calls board will be much information

[IslandGirl3000]

I live in Key West, so if you have any specific questions, I might be able to help you, or at least, give you my opinion.

[Ronnie1a]

A cab will be considerably less when you go to a specific location rather than the ship/s tours. Just be sure there are cabs around to get you back in time. If some isolated beach you may not be able to find a cab mid-afternoon.

[Amyracecar]

The tours are often expensive when booked with the ship, but I tend to find that Caribbean tours are cheaper than many places around the world and don't work out too bad. I agree with others that it's a good choice for your first cruise, as you remove some of the worry of self planning.

 

However, if you do decide to go it alone there are so many online resources to help you (this site being one of them) and i'm sure the people on your roll call will love to help out.

 

When we did our first cruise we picked a couple of expensive 'dream' excursion choices, and then went with the cheapest in other ports to keep on budget. Those turned out to be a real surprise and amazing value for money. (Not your ports unfortunately so I can't recommend)

 

Good luck!

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[Hydrokitty]

A cab will be considerably less when you go to a specific location rather than the ship/s tours. Just be sure there are cabs around to get you back in time. If some isolated beach you may not be able to find a cab mid-afternoon.

 

This is very true as is pp who advised private tour guide. BUT since you are first timers, I would go with ship tours for following reasons: if a ship shore excursion is late getting back to the ship, the ship waits. If a private excursion is late they may or may not and I have heard too many horror stories about taxis giving you a price at the dock, taking you to where you want to go and then demanding more money to take you back to the ship, which you have to pay or taxi leaves. Cruise shore excursions cost more, it's true, but the price is what it is and won't change; the guides all speak english; restaurants they take you to will be ok to eat in and places they take you to shop will not rob you (well that last part isn't true, they will rob you but it will already have been added to the price on the merchandise):D

[KKB]

And you have PLENTY of time to do it!

I love to scour these boards everyday for months before our cruise--MUCH valuable info!

 

After 3 cruises our children (who first cruise at 5, 7 & 10, and most recently at 12, 14 & 17) ALWAYS say the best parts of the trip are family time, the pool/beach & the kids/teen club.

 

We have always researched a good family beach area & just had a ball playing in the waves. They have done a banana boat & another inflatable raft at a couple of beached & done some snorkeling. But they say it is the time, the fun, the sun, the water--it is all good.

 

Building memories with children is not as much about "big" events, but the time spent together. I would recommend ONE big event for the cruise--parasailing OR swimming with the dolphins--which would they rather do?

 

I cannot comment on your specific ports for children; head on over to the port specific threads & post your questions there. Atlantis seems like a good fit for children--ask crowds/lines are an issue.

[Xmansmom]

Just my two cents, in Nassau, we went to Atlantis, middle of summer, it was not too crowded. I didn't book through the ship though. I followed someone's advice on here and booked a room at the Comfort Suites next door. The rooms include use of Atlantis I got the non refundable rate and joined their rewards club so I was able to book the room for somewhere in the price range of $300. I could not have gotten the tickets through the ship anywhere near that cost. It was a great deal and over all it was a lot of fun.

 

In Key West, we were just there for the week after Christmas. We go about every other year. I would tell you that there is a beautiful beach there that you could visit on your own. Also, if you look up the Conch Train. We rode this and it was very neat with lots of interesting facts and you could get off and go to places like the Butterfly place, Hemingway house, the Lighthouse, the Aquarium, the Southern most point. We enjoyed visiting all of these. I'm sure you could also find plenty of companies offering snorkeling and waveriders, etc. A little bit of upfront research here and you definitely can find stuff on your own.

[ehfl]

You don't need to try to do everything on one cruise. Do a few things, but leave plenty of time to relax and explore. What you don't do this trip, you can do on the next one.

[Dreacrusingaway]

Thanks so much for all the advice. I am going to take it all to heart. I am going to try to not overdo it, while planning a few fun activities.

 

I really appreciate all of the help.

[tpadul]

Thanks so much for all the advice. I am going to take it all to heart. I am going to try to not overdo it, while planning a few fun activities.

 

I really appreciate all of the help.

 

Just wondering if you are still here on the board and if you have any updates from how your trip went in May and how your planning went for all the excursions or activities you ended up doing in each port.

 

I am still in the planning stages of my cruise coming up in November and while I am not traveling with my teenager, this is a honeymoon cruise for me and we have 5 ports of call and I'm still feeling kind of overwhelmed with the planning process of what to do in each port and wondered how you eventually whittled down your choices?

 

My biggest things are trying to figure out which ports are better for walking around and sightseeing and taking photos since I'm an amatuer outdoor photographer or which ports are better for just staying at the beach or maybe a combo of both for each port..

 

I'm trying not to stress about the planning too much as my Fiance and I are still in the midst of getting things together for our wedding at the end of October so that also takes up a portion of my brain and I'm very much a planner as well. Always very organized and have things lined up well in advance.

 

If you still read this board I would love to hear how your trip went and how you ended up deciding what you would do in each port.

[Jeff L]

I was not impressed with Freeport at all. If I were to ever go back I would stay on the ship and relax while everyone else goes on their excursions.